UL senior point guard Jay Wright was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Ragin’ Cajuns junior shooting guard Frank Bartley IV was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year on Monday.

Both Wright and Cajuns junior power forward Bryce Washington were named to the second team All-Sun Belt honor squad, while Bartley was named to the third team.

Wright led the SBC in steals during the regular season with 1.9 per game, and finished the regular season among the league’s Top 10 in scoring (15.6 points per game), assists (4.1 per game), field goal percentage (.451), assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and minutes played (34.2 per game).

The product of Effingham County High from Rincon, Georgia, had 11 games with three or more steals.

He follows in the footsteps of former Cajun and current Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton, who won Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014, when UL last season to the NCAA Tournament.

“So happy for Jay Wright,” UL coach Bob Marlin said Monday. “He’s a great defensive player, and gives his all every day in practice and every game.

“I think he’s earned the respect of the other coaches around the league. Just a well-deserved honor.

“Certainly Elfrid Payton got that a (few) years ago for us,” Marlin added. “That’s big shoes to fill for Jay, and he stepped up and filled Elfrid’s shoes again. Hopefully he can help us get to the Tournament also.”

UL, 20-11 and riding a six-game win streak after last Saturday’s win over SBC regular-season champ Texas-Arlington at the Cajundome, opens plays Wednesday night at the Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed Arkansas-Little Rock.

The Cajuns will need to win four more in a row to return to the NCAA tourney.

Bartley, a transfer from BYU and a product of Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge, ranks eighth in the Sun Belt scoring with a team-leading 15.9 points per game.

He’s also 12th among SBC leaders in assists with 2.5 per game, third in steals at 1.7 and sixth in field goal percentage (.455).

Bartley scored in double figures in 22 games en route to winning the Newcomer of the Year award, which honors the conference’s top non-freshman playing in his first year at his current school.

UL's Frank Bartley IV, showing driving to the basket against Georgia State earlier this season, was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year on Monday.(Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER)

“It’s a great honor,” Marlin said.

“There are a lot of good newcomers in the league, like DeVon Walker, (a) transfer from Florida who made a different for Troy. Georgia State, (Willie) Clayton (a transfer from North Carolina-Charlotte) made a big difference for them. Some junior-college players have played well.

“It says a lot about Frank,” Marlin added, “and the kind of year he’s had, being consistent.”

Washington is averaging 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds and has 22 double-doubles this season.

Texas-Arlington junior forward Kevin Hervey, who is averaging 17.3 points per game including 34 against UL on Saturday night and 8.3 rebounds per game, was named Sun Belt Player of the Year.

UTA’s Scott Cross was named Coach of the Year. His Mavs are 24-7 going into the Sun Belt tourney.